I Work in China’s Matcha Industry — Here’s What I’ve Learned After Tasting Hundreds of Chinese Matchas
As a native Chinese working in the Chinese matcha industry, I mainly focus on wholesale matcha for small and medium-sized B2B businesses around the world. Over the past few months, I've spent a lot of time tasting matcha from different parts of China, comparing producers and visiting factories, so I wanted to share what I've learned.
First, Chinese matcha isn't necessarily made from the same cultivars as Japanese matcha. Most Chinese tea is still made from local Chinese cultivars, but Japanese cultivars such as Yabukita and Okumidori have also been introduced and are now being cultivated in China. We're even starting to see single-cultivar matcha.
Although China uses equipment and production technologies from Japan, sometimes with guidance from Japanese matcha professionals, there are still noticeable differences. Many Chinese companies also only started producing matcha relatively recently, so they generally have less experience than long-established Japanese producers.
Another interesting issue is the huge difference between producers.
China is a massive tea-producing country, and production efficiency is often prioritised. Large factories can produce enormous quantities at very competitive prices, but high-quality raw material is still limited. A bigger factory doesn't automatically mean more premium tea leaves. Depending on the product, the use of stems, older leaves and lower-grade material can have a noticeable effect on the final flavour.
And after tasting enough Chinese matcha, you also start noticing products that make you suspicious.
I'm not saying every unusual-looking matcha is adulterated, and without laboratory testing I can't prove exactly what has been added. But there are certain patterns I've encountered repeatedly.
For example, bamboo powder is extremely cheap and can produce a very green, exceptionally fine powder. After tasting enough of it, you can start to recognise a rather distinctive taste.
Seaweed powder is another one. If there isn't much other flavour supporting it, the seaweed taste can be unusually strong, abrupt and one-dimensional rather than having the layered umami and aroma you'd expect from good tea.
Added colouring is another concern. Sometimes the green looks unnaturally bright, and the colour seems unusually resistant to oxidation or change.
Once you've tasted enough matcha, you don't judge it by colour alone. You start looking at the combination of colour, particle size, aroma, flavour, how it develops over time, and even the price.
I've also visited factories myself, and honestly, the difference in production environments can be shocking. Some are clean, organised and professionally managed. Others have made me genuinely concerned about hygiene.
At the same time, I don't want this post to sound like I'm trying to scare people away from Chinese matcha.
A lot of people are also concerned about pesticide residues and other food safety issues, and I can't deny that this is something you need to pay attention to. But if you work with a proper manufacturer, there are usually products specifically produced to meet European standards, and there are also Chinese matcha products with JAS, EUand USDA organic certifications.
China also has some genuinely excellent matcha producers. I was originally someone who only drank Japanese matcha, but after trying one Chinese matcha that really surprised me, I started exploring the industry seriously.
Interestingly, Chinese matcha is not actually as rare overseas as many people think. A lot of it has been exported for years, particularly through wholesale channels. Some producers mainly supply businesses rather than selling directly to consumers, so people may already have been drinking Chinese matcha without realising where it came from.
This is why I don't think "Chinese matcha" should be treated as one single category.
There are huge industrial producers, small specialised producers, very affordable matcha, single-cultivar matcha, organic matcha, and some genuinely beautiful high-end products. The flavour can also be completely different depending on the region, cultivar, raw material and processing.
After tasting and comparing so many producers, I've ended up working with only a small number that I personally trust, with different flavour profiles for different applications.
So my point isn't to tell everyone not to buy Chinese matcha. It's simply to keep your eyes open and know what you're buying.
And if you're a café, bakery, or have your own matcha brand and you're interested in exploring Chinese matcha but don't really know where to start, I'm happy to help you look for a suitable producer and match the tea to the flavour profile you're looking for.